Haaretz Podcast 'The Jewish community still thinks there's a technical fix to the Epstein scandal'
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Feb 24, 2026 Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, a feminist rabbi and author focused on ethics and repair, recounts her personal reckoning with the Wexner–Epstein ties. She describes taking accountability, donating fellowship funds, and urges transparency over protecting power. The conversation centers on institutional silence, the danger of shielding donors, and the need to center survivors and structural change.
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Inside The Wexner Fellowship Experience
- Rabbi Dania Ruttenberg described the Wexner Foundation as an elite gateway that funded tuition and created a powerful professional network for Jewish leaders.
- She recounted supportive retreats, cohort learning, and later diversification efforts that made her feel loved and professionally advanced.
Donating Her Fellowship Money To Survivors
- Ruttenberg recalled learning about the Wexner–Epstein connection via Julie K. Brown's Miami Herald reporting and later the Hulu documentary, which unsettled her deeply.
- She calculated the foundation money she benefited from and donated that sum to the National Survivors Network before publicizing it on Facebook.
Community Denial Versus Power Math
- Ruttenberg described initial messaging from the foundation that Wexner was 'bamboozled' and denies knowledge, a response that didn't sit right with her given power dynamics.
- She noted Wexner alums largely avoided discussing the connection publicly and the Wexner listserv remained silent.